Behind the arrest of Telegram boss was a small Paris cybercrime unit with big ambitions

Pavel Durov's lawyer said on Thursday it was 'absurd' for him to be held responsible and that the app abided by European laws, echoing an earlier statement by Telegram itself

Pavel Durov, chief executive officer of Telegram, was arrested last Saturday. Photo: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The investigation into Telegram boss Pavel Durov that has fired a warning shot to global tech titans was started by a small cybercrime unit within the Paris prosecutor's office, led by 38-year-old Johanna Brousse.

The arrest of Mr Durov, 39, last Saturday marks a significant shift in how some global authorities may seek to deal with tech chiefs reluctant to police illegal content on their platforms.